1-minute hike: Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park in Freeport

Difficulty: Easy-moderate. The extensive trail network — about 4.5 miles of intersecting walking paths — travels over relatively even terrain, and some of the trails are wheelchair- and stroller-accessible.

How to get there: The park is easy to find. From Route 1 in the bustling town of Freeport, turn onto Bow Street, which is across the road from L.L.Bean. Drive about 2.4 miles, then turn right onto Wolfe’s Neck Road. Drive about 1.5 miles and the park entrance will be on the left. Pay the park admission fee at the entrance gate before parking in one of the two large parking areas.

Information: Just minutes from downtown Freeport, Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park is open year round for the public to enjoy. The park features about 4.5 miles of well-groomed trails that lead visitors through a variety of habitats to the rocky coast on Casco Bay and the mouth of the Harraseeket River.

Gifted to the state by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence M.C. Smith of Freeport in 1969, the park is about 200 acres of land that includes diverse habitats such as white pine and hemlock forests, a salt marsh estuary and mixed hardwood stands.

Ten interpretive signs located along the trails help visitors learn more about these ecosystems and resident wildlife through text, diagrams and illustrations. The signs are titled: “White Pines,” “From Field to Forest,” “Life Between the Tides,” “Life in the Estuary,” “Osprey Nesting Area,” “The Rocky Shore,” “Animals of the Bay,” “Islands and Beyond,” “Dry Ledges and Wet Woods,” and “Of Rocks and Hemlocks.”

Upon entering the park, visitors are asked to pay a small admission fee — ranging from free to $4.50, depending on age and residency — at the entrance gate. Past the gate are two large parking areas. Nearby is a large kiosk that displays a trail map, a list of hiking route suggestions and park rules.

Of the many trails, one of the most popular is the 0.5-mile Casco Bay Trail, which leads visitors along the coast to views of islands such as Eagle, Googins and Cousin. Side trails provide access to rocky beaches, where herons are often found wading in the shallows of the bay. Also along the trail is a spot to observe ospreys nesting on Googins Island, complete with wooden benches and an interpretive sign that explains the life cycle of the bird.

A good portion of the trail network is wheelchair accessible. At the trails kiosk at the parking lot, two of the six hiking route suggestions are wheelchair accessible: the “Osprey Tour,” which is 0.2 mile one way, and the “Forest and Shore Tour,” a 0.75-mile loop. The other suggested hiking routes, not accessible by wheelchair, are “Fastest Way to the Water” (0.1 mile), “Harraseeket Hike” (1.8 mile loop with steep, uneven terrain), “Woods and Water, Your Way” (1- to 1.5-mile loop with some uneven terrain) and “Casco Bay Walk” (1.25 miles round trip).

The park also features private picnic areas, a group picnic area in a clearing and a sheltered picnic, as well as wheelchair accessible restrooms. Wooden benches placed along the park trails give people a comfortable place to rest and watch wildlife.

A sign near the parking area reminds people to leave what they find, for example wildflowers and beach treasures. A few other important park rules: Hunting is not allowed; bikes are not allowed on park trails; and dogs are allowed but must be kept on a leash at all times. A sign at the trail kiosk warns dog owners that they will be asked to leave the park if their dogs are not leashed.

The park offers nature programs and guided tours on a regular basis and also, in conjunction with Bradbury Mountain State Park, hosts the annual Feathers Over Freeport weekend-long birding festival each spring.

For information and a downloadable trail map, visit www.maine.gov and search for Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park or call the park at 865-4465.

Personal note: Before attending a “flannel party” (a foodtastic event during which everyone wears their fanciest flannel shirt) on Saturday at our friends’ house in Freeport, hiking buddy Derek and I decided to go on a morning adventure in Wolfe’s Neck Woods State Park. Neither of us had been to the park before, but I had heard about it plenty of times while shopping at the many outlets of downtown Freeport.

We only had a few hours to spend at the park, so we planned to hurry along the trails and cover as much ground as possible. But it didn’t work out that way; I got a bit distracted. It didn’t work out quite that way.

Then we spotted a great blue heron wading near the beach, so I squatted in the mud for a while filming and photographing the elegant bird (the first I’d ever seen). Later, I studied the photos and read up on the bird on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website. It turns out, we were observing a juvenile heron, since its plumage had yet to grow in.

Also on the beach, Derek found a horseshoe crab (which had recently met its demise), and of course, I was fascinated by the giant crustacean, which really is shaped just like a horseshoe. I thought the delightful distractions would end in the forest, but then I kept finding mushrooms of all shapes and sizes. I was continually sinking to the forest floor to snap photos.

Nevertheless, we managed to hike a number of trails — just not all of them. I’d like to return in the summer to observe the nesting osprey, which I assume have already migrated for the winter. And though I haven’t experienced the park in the winter, the wide, smooth trails seem like they’d be great for skiing and snowshoeing.